by Martin Stuart-Fox and Somsanouk Mixay and Steve Northup
University of Washington Press, 2010

Laos is a land of festivals. Every village, every temple, and every ethnic minority not only holds its own special festivals but joins the wider Lao community in celebrating the national ones as well. This book explores the most important festivals of Laos and offers a rare and fascinating glimpse into the spiritual and communal life of the Lao people. Written and photographed by experts in Lao history, society, and culture, Festivals of Laos is a wonderful combination of insightful narrative and stunning photography.

Martin Stuart-Fox is professor emeritus of Asian studies at the University of Queensland and the author of six books on the history, politics, and culture of Laos.
Somsanouk Mixay has worked in Laos in the news and media sector for many years and has many articles, features, and books to his credit.
Steve Northup has served as staff photographer for the Washington Post and Time magazine. He lives in rural New Mexico.

Watch a parade of flower-wreathed water buffaloes, listen to the sonorous music of the kulingtang, feast on tropical fruits and flavors…There’s always something to celebrate, somewhere, in the Philippines.

Thailand’s cultural heritage is rich with holidays and festivals. Religious, royal, and agricultural holidays and cultural festivals all contribute to a kaleidoscope of colorful activities that have long captured the hearts of the local people as well as the interest of visitors. This beautifully illustrated book discusses the reasons for observing the various festivals, their origins and legends, and the location and time of year at which each takes place. Gerson shows throughout how, in Thailand, religion and culture are intertwined.

In the pages that follow, we give an account of a number of well-known festivals in Viet Nam (arranged in the order of Lunar months) in order to give the readers a diverse picture of Viet Nam’s traditional culture. In addition, the book also deals with a number of festivals of minority ethnic groups which have coexisted with the Kinh (Viet) ethnic group for a very long time. The interaction between these groups is of historical proportion.

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